Solar-panel installation on a home may seem on the surface to entail a very high initial investment. But how does installation make sense from a dollars-and-sense perspective in the long run? David Young, president of St. Louis-area-based The Sound Room, says that when he helps clients understand the whys and wherefores of solar panels, they readily see why it might be practical to consider their installation for their far-reaching benefits.

Young, in business since 1983 as an A/V specialty retailer who then entered the field of custom installation and whole-home integration, launched the solar-panel aspect of his business last year as the Sunergy solar energy division, investing in the hardware and software tools and in the technical training of his staff, which attended seminars at solar-panel supplier Sharp’s California facilities to become certified in installation and maintenance.

Young said it was well worth getting involved in this area based on the number of inquiries he had received from people interested in solar energy, and also as a corollary to his team’s work as installers on “green” homes where it was a logical next step to offer solar panels as part of a total solution.
Some of the first questions clients ask about panels have to do with the robustness and longevity of the systems. “The panels we use feature a 25-year warranty,” Young explains, “and we tell people you can expect a long, long life from the installations. We use Sharp photovoltaic panels, and they’re built to last. They’re one of the world’s largest producers of solar panels and they make their panels in the U.S., in Memphis. That’s a big advantage.”

Cost Considerations
Certainly, cost comes up in some of the first questions from clients. “The conversation is totally different from a discussion about buying audio or video systems,” he says. “You’re not talking aesthetics, entertainment or enjoyment. It’s strictly a return-on-investment (ROI) conversation, a dollars-and-cents conversation. It’s ‘How soon can I expect to get my money back?’ The answer to that depends on several factors—on where you live and what kinds of incentives there are locally—either from the government or from the utility. Different municipalities, even where we’re located, have different incentives.”

Young says that everything in solar is priced by the watt—“so much, per watt generated. When we quote a price we quote it as how much it is per watt, installed. That’s also how rebates work—it’s so much per watt that you are rebated.”

While Young says he enters the conversation armed with some of those numbers, he will also do a site analysis: “We’ve purchased some expensive equipment that enables us to determine exactly what kind of generation the client can expect. The equipment does a shade analysis, and depending upon where you’re mounting the panels, it will tell you how much sun per hour you’ll get, and analyzes how much shade there is.

“We also have software we bought which we pay a monthly fee to work with, where we plug in all the numbers and then it calculates the total ROI. You input data about the panels and other information about the installation, and the software even allows you to do a site analysis before going to the site, using a mapping system that zones in on the address of the building. It will tell you with some degree of accuracy what the best scenario is. Of course, we’re still going to make the trip to the site, but it helps us to zero in early, so that we can determine if the situation is practical or not, and whether the client needs to rethink the location of the installation.”

What to Look For; What to Ask
Young advises homeowners considering taking the solar-panel plunge also to consider purchasing a service contract from the integrator, which might include an annual performance evaluation of the system and a panel cleaning so that the maximum amount of power generation is assured.

And as for what the savvy consumer should look for in a solar-panel installer, Young offers theses caveats:
• The installer should be certified;
• The installer should have a partnership with a high-voltage electrician for managing the installation: “Although we can handle everything that is low voltage, the switch that goes between the panels and the meter is treated like a generator—you’ve got high voltage that feeds into the grid, so you need an electrician to make that connection.”
• Be wary of the panel supplier and make sure of its reputation and support structure: “There are a lot of solar-panel brands out there, and some have some pretty amazing claims about what they can produce and what their efficiency is. We like to stick with a well-known, well-backed-up brand like Sharp.”
• Be sure to take a look at some of the solar-panel installations done by the installer you are considering.

“I would also suggest that consumers look into how long the installer has been in business,” Young advises. “Because of the extraordinary demand for solar panels, there has been a whole bunch of brand-new startups, and, just as was the case in the early days of the A/V business, there are some people who are starting up out of their garages. Sometimes, they skip things like insurance and workmen’s compensation, so you want to know that the company you’re dealing with has a track record that’s more than months old, and has been around for a while.”

Young also warns against going the do-it-yourself route: “You’ll see some more DIY systems out there from the big-box stores. I’d caution consumers about that. Any time you’re dealing with electricity, and in tying something into the grid, there’s a really high risk level—and horror stories that go with it where people’s homes have burnt down.”

Look for companies that, like The Sound Room, are members of national and local organizations relating to solar energy and “green” building. Because of these affiliations, Young says, “we have access to the combined shared experience of a lot of other professionals in the business. And while this is a new division for us, we’re using the same personnel that we do with other things. It’s part of what we offer; it’s not everything. But we have a history, and are more than just a few months old. So, make sure that you’re not in danger of contracting with a company that’s one bad job away from going out of business—especially when you’re dealing with something that can potentially last you a quarter of a century.”

Related: audio, Cost Considerations, David Young, DIY, green, integration, ROI, Sharp, solar david young the sound room

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